I have enjoyed this piece and the discussion to date. Just wanted to add a few things to the discussion. In regards to the "pin holes" I am wondering if they were placed there as a means to help apply a decorative silver foil. I recall reading somewhere that many of the pattisa you see with handles full of "pin holes" may have originally been covered in silver sheet and these holes serve as a means of helping to hold the silver to the handle. Perhaps the background area had something similar that has since worn away with time and age.
In regards to whether or not the blade and hilt were born together I would suggest that they are not. When you look at 2 key areas, one being the rivet attaching handle to blade, you do not see a lot of patina or wear around that rivet that you would expect after a few centuries of wear. Matter of fact, the koftgari of the handle seems to not take the rivet into consideration suggestion it was a later add on. Also, when you look at the areas between blade and hilt, again there is a lack of patina suggesting they have been together a long time. The tiger koftgari is complete and doesn't show patina beneath and around the edges of the handle, nor, does the blade. Given that those areas are extremely difficult to get to during a routine cleaning they often accumulate a lot of grime over a long period of time and this is not present or at least not from the pictures provided. I would examine these areas closely for some evidence of patina and dirt/grime to confirm it was at least brought together in the 19th century and not more recently.
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